GIVE ME FIVE
It may not seem so, judging by the 300 or so posts I’ve crammed into this blog the past two years (not to mention my comments and responses here and on other blogs), but I’m a painstakingly slow writer. Perhaps I take too much time to think about what I want to write, and then I compound that interest by re-thinking as I’m writing, then tightening up what I’ve written, then editing, then re-editing what I’ve edited, et cetera (on second thought, make that etc.).
Mind you, it’s not that I feel cursed by an addiction to unattainable perfection, or even to attainable quality. But I’d like to think that ARS GRATIA ARTIS (“Art for art’s sake”) is more than an MGM motto — it’s part of what every creative writer should strive for. Nonetheless, there comes a point where something has to give. There are too many other things I want or need to do, and there are only 24 hours, more or less, in a day. If I can’t yield on quality, the compromise will have to come on quantity.
So, for the month of August, I’m going to slow down, try something a little different. Instead of posting every two or three days (even, at times, daily), I’m going to cut back by publishing every five days (August 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th). My hope for this experiment is that by posting less frequently but on a regular schedule, readers won’t miss the dubious pleasure of my company after a day or two, because they’ll know “I’ll be back” on dates certain.
So, give me five. It’s not like I’m asking for a handout.
arekhill1, and 5 others are discussing. 
The Observation Post 
Michaeline Montezinos 11:19 pm on July 31, 2015 Permalink |
I think that you have a solid plan to post five days apart. Best to slow down sometimes.
I didn’t and have fallen again two more times. The last trip to the ER convinced me that striving for perfection is a huge waste of time. At least I had good care and got to go home after having my back of the head stapled. Almost wanted to quit working on my book, too. Which is just plain dumb. I cannot be that discouraged since my husband has ordered me a new computer. He is one great guy and I am a lucky girl.
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DoesItEvenMatterWhoIAm? 11:24 pm on July 31, 2015 Permalink |
It is good that you recognize that you need to step back and focus more on what works for YOU. After all, isn’t that what blogging is all about? Isn’t it meant to be for us as individuals? I will still be here to read, every fifth day. More so, or less if that is what you choose. ♡♡♡ Melanie
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Joseph Nebus 2:48 am on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
It’s certainly worth experimenting with. I’ve just gotten some data about how my mathematics blog readership varies with the number of posts I make and that’s been intriguing and worth thinking about.
Really, the important thing is for every post to be interesting. After that the frequency doesn’t so much matter.
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Don Frankel 4:57 am on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
So long as….
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scifihammy 5:10 am on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
At the end of the day, Blogging should be fun! If it starts taking its toll then it is time to slow down. Your posts, and some others I read, are quite detailed and impossible to churn out. You won’t lose your regulars by posting every 5 days. See you later 🙂
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mistermuse 6:19 am on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
I woke up this morning to find five comments to GIVE ME FIVE – is that a good omen, or what? My thanks to all of you for the good vibes and good advice.
I’LL BE BACK!
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arekhill1 12:00 pm on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
i know how you feel, Sr. Muse. I’m trying to finish a project and sometimes the blog seems like such a chore, especially when there’s nothing in the headlines to mock. But I slog on.
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mistermuse 4:42 pm on August 1, 2015 Permalink |
Keep on slogging on, Ricardo – someone needs to mock the far right, and no one does it better than you (except maybe some of the characters on the far right themselves, inadvertently).
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BroadBlogs 1:14 pm on August 4, 2015 Permalink |
I tried posting everyday the first week I had my blog. It about killed me. So I decided to do three days a week. That was extremely hard at first. I’ve become a faster writer over the years, so it feels more doable now.
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mistermuse 3:36 pm on August 4, 2015 Permalink |
Even every other day about kills me, so we’ll see how every 5 days works out. I realize I tend to be too much of a perfectionist when I write, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks….or so they say. I just may go to the dogs with tomorrow’s post. Time will tell.
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